RANCHO MIRAGE — President Barack Obama is doing more during his weekend getaway than playing golf and watching television.

According to press pool reporter Linda Feldmann, Obama left Sunnylands at 6:26 p.m. Saturday and arrived at the home of local resident Michael Smith about 10 minutes later.

According to Feldmann, Smith did the interior design for the White House’s private living quarters and parts of Sunnylands.

She did not provide other details on Obama’s evening plans.

Up until Saturday night, multiple media outlets reported Obama planned to relax at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage after wrapping up his meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II

Seeking to help Jordan shoulder the costs of an influx of Syrian refugees, Obama announced new economic assistance for the country during talks with Abdullah on Friday night, aiming to put a strategic relationship on solid footing.

Obama’s announcement highlighted the importance of a longstanding alliance and friendship that is central to U.S. policy in the Middle East. During a meeting at the Sunnylands estate that included a working dinner, the two leaders also sought to align their positions on sensitive subjects such as Syria’s civil war, Iraq, Iran and Mideast peace negotiations.

“We have very few friends, partners and allies around the world that have been as steadfast and reliable as his Majesty King Abdullah, as well as the people of Jordan,” Obama said while the two sat beneath a portrait of George Washington. “Our cooperation on a whole host of issues is extensive. We’re going to be talking a lot about the political changes that are taking place in the region.”

The president announced that the U.S. will provide a $1 billion loan guarantee for Jordan, which has confronted growing financial pressures while taking in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. The U.S. guarantee, which follows a similar $1.25 billion loan guarantee last year, will provide backing that will make it easier for Jordan to access international capital markets and borrow money.

Obama also announced he will seek a new five-year memorandum of understanding with the Jordanian government, through which the U.S. will provide cash and other assistance. Obama said “that allows that country to pursue the kind of development that will not only help the people of Jordan but help the region as a whole.”

The current five-year agreement expires in September and has involved $660 million a year in aid for Jordan. Congress also has recently approved an additional $340 million for the country.

Syria’s civil war has been taking a toll on neighboring Jordan as refugees have fled across the border, crowding into communities and placing strains on the country’s public services and infrastructure. About 600,000 Syrian refugees now live in the country of 6.5 million people, and they have driven up housing prices.

The numbers of refugees are expected to continue growing, and the U.S. is seeking to maintain stability in Jordan.

“The people of Jordan have been very generous in absorbing hundreds of thousands of displaced persons from that war-ravaged country,” Obama said. “It puts a great strain on the resources of Jordan and it’s very important for us to make sure that we’re supportive of the Kingdom in accommodating all these refugees.”

Turning to the situation in Syria, Obama said the underlying problem is that Bashar Assad’s regime has attacked civilians and shown little regard for the well-being of the country’s people.

“We are going to need a political transition in that region,” Obama said. “And we’re going to continue to strategize on how we can effectively change the calculus inside the country so that we can have a Syria that is intact, that is respectful of all groups, that ends the killing, and that allows for a representative government.”

The president did not elaborate on how such a transition might be achieved, but said his administration doesn’t expect to resolve the situation right away and is looking to take other steps to help the humanitarian situation, put more pressure on Assad’s government, and promote a “diplomatic solution.”

The president noted that Jordan was recently elected to serve on the U.N. Security Council, and called Abdullah a “very capable and trustworthy partner.”

The U.S. government has looked to Abdullah as an ally in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The king expressed gratitude for U.S. support for Jordan, and commended the American government for its role in trying to broker a Mideast peace deal.

“The leadership the United States has shown has been critical,” Abdullah said, adding that it has “given me a lot of hope.”

Abdullah’s visit was the first by a Jordanian royal to the Sunnylands estate, the home of the late diplomats Walter and Leonore Annenberg that has been used by presidents for decades as a retreat and a venue for international talks.

It was Obama’s second visit to Sunnylands in less than eight months, following a June summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the estate.

Obama was accompanied by National Security Adviser Susan Rice, as well as Sen. Barbara Boxer. Boxer said ahead of the president’s visit the U.S. has provided tremendous support for Syrian refugees and “the civilized world has to come together to help Jordan address this humanitarian crisis.”

The United States has provided more than $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Syrian crisis began, with the aid going to those in need in Syria as well as to refugees in neighboring countries.

“Our major concern in the area is the rise of extremism in Syria, the sectarian violence, and if we don’t find a solution, the spillover in the region and the effect that will have,” Abdullah said. He pledged to work closely with the U.S. and other partners “in trying to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people as quickly as possible.”

Abdullah assumed the throne in 1999. He has deep personal ties to the United States, where he attended high school and studied at Georgetown University.

Abdullah arrived in the Coachella Valley after holding talks in Washington with other U.S. officials.

About 40 demonstrators gathered on a corner near Sunnylands to protest against the king’s visit and the direction of Mideast peace negotiations. But law enforcement officers kept them out of direct view of the entrance to the estate. Most protesters gave up and went home.